3 positive takeaways from 2022 for the Indian men's team

To put it bluntly, 2022 has been a rather disastrous year for Indian men's cricket, both on and off the cricket field. It all began with an away Test series loss to South Africa after being 1-0 up in the three-match rubber. The disappointment set the tone for India this year as they were soon blanked 0-3 in the subsequent ODI series.

While Team India managed to ease to wins in some bilateral series against the likes of West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe, they again flopped in multi-nation tournaments. The Men in Blue failed to reach the final of the Asia Cup and were knocked out of the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.

Off the field, a massive controversy erupted over Virat Kohli’s unceremonious sacking as ODI captain. Towards the end of the year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Sourav Ganguly was shown the door after his tenure ended, while the entire selection committee was sacked after Team India’s T20 World Cup exit.

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The good that happened for Indian cricket in 2022

It is said that every cloud has a silver lining. Amid all the gloom, there were a few bright spots for Indian cricket too in 2022. Here’s a lowdown.

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#1 Virat Kohli’s return to form in white-ball cricket

Virat Kohli had an incredible run in white-ball cricket in the second half of 2022. Pic: Getty Images

Kohli’s poor form over the last couple of seasons extended to the first half of 2022. But after a break following a disastrous England tour, he came back with renewed vigor. The 34-year-old impressed in the Asia Cup and ended his long-century drought with a fantastic hundred against Afghanistan.

The former Indian captain was in sublime form during the T20 World Cup. His spectacular knock against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where he single-handedly lifted the team to victory from a near-hopeless situation, has been termed by many critics as the innings of the tournament.

Kohli was consistent throughout the tournament and was unlucky not to end up winning the T20 World Cup.

The right-handed batter, however, continued to struggle in the Test format. In six red-ball games for India, he scored only 265 runs at an average of 26.50 with a best of 79.

This is one record Kohli would be keen to set straight in 2023.

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#2 Suryakumar and Shreyas: The shining stars

Suryakumar Yadav (left) and Shreyas Iyer came up with some memorable performances. Pics: Getty Images

Even as most Indian batters struggled throughout the year, two men stood out. Suryakumar Yadav had a spectacular 2022 in T20Is, while Shreyas Iyer was sublime across formats, displaying amazing consistency and commendable composure under pressure.

Suryakumar was the leading run-getter in T20Is in 2022, clobbering 1164 runs in 31 matches at an average of 46.56 and an exceptional strike rate of 187.43. He scored two T20I hundreds, both in overseas conditions - one in Nottingham and the other in Mount Maunganui.

Suryakumar’s 360-degree hitting wowed the crowds in Australia during the World Cup. His innings in Perth against South Africa, when the other big guns crumbled, stood out. He is undoubtedly the T20I batter of the year.

There has never been any doubt over Shreyas' talent, but opportunities for him have been limited. In 2022, he got a lot more chances as the Indian team gave rest to senior players on multiple occasions. To his credit, the Mumbai batter made the best use of the opportunity.

Shreyas scored 724 in 17 ODIs at an average of 55.69. The 28-year-old slammed 463 runs in 17 T20Is at a strike rate of 141.15. The short ball again proved to be his undoing in the rescheduled Test in England, but Shreyas played some gritty knocks in Bangladesh as India sealed the two-match series by a 2-0 margin.

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#3 Emergence of Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh excelled in his debut year in international cricket. Pic: Getty Images

In the bowling department, the rise of young left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh was astounding, to say the least.

Handed an India debut during the tour of England in July, after a couple of impressive Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons, Arshdeep put his hand up at the T20 World Cup in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence. He delivered some remarkable performances Down Under, despite his lack of experience at the international level.

The 23-year-old trapped Pakistan captain Babar Azam lbw with his first ball of the World Cup to get India’s campaign underway in exceptional fashion. Arshdeep went on to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan as well and finished his spell with excellent figures of 3/32.

Rohit often went to Arshdeep when he needed a wicket and the youngster rarely disappointed. Arshdeep ended the T20 World Cup with 10 wickets in six matches at an average of 15.60.

In a memorable debut year, the young Punjab left-arm seamer claimed 33 scalps in 21 T20Is at an average of 18.12. Beyond the impressive numerous, though, it was Arshdeep’s attitude that stood out.

He seems to enjoy the challenge of bowling in tough situations. With experience, he can only get better and that augurs well for Indian cricket.

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